Breathing In Snowflakes
by SorryGoneForNow
Summary: Anna is an EMT working hard in NYC to help people; but who helps her when her partner wants to retire, her marriage is falling apart and she might be falling in love with the mysterious neighbor woman with the sketchy life style. (Elsanna, not incest) (drug abuse) (abuse) (hurt/comfort)
1. Chapter 1

One

December 2nd

The Sound of the sirens could be heard for miles as the large emergency vehicle raced down the snow-covered city streets. The path was lit by the full orb in the sky as it cut through the night air, splitting the dark blanket that hung over New York City. In the passenger seat of the Ambulance sat a young woman, only 26 years of age. She had the most beautiful ginger hair that she kept pulled back into two low hanging braids that hung down the front of her and a warm black beanie to keep her bangs back. Her eyes, an intense green that could put the northern lights to shame, scanned the roads ahead for any sign of the accident. The two EMT's had gotten the call about a car accident not but five minutes ago and happened to be nearby. The driver of the vehicle slowed down as they noticed the four ways of another car flashing through the dark night.

"I think this is our scene, Kai."  
The woman whispered as the headlights shined on an old white Ford pick up truck.

The older man turned to her as he unbuckled his seat-belt with his wrinkled hands. He was 65 and his body was starting to show it. Kai gave 28 years of his life to being an EMT and would have retired sooner had they not assigned Anna as his partner. He grew up with her, practically raised her after her parents passed away, so he wasn't going to miss out on this opportunity. His brown eyes looked into hers a split second before they both turned to get out of the vehicle. As Anna got out she grabbed her medical bag and rushed over to the truck. It was then that she noticed the other car, a small blue Chevy Impala, or what was left of it at least. The white truck had its front end smashed in with minimal damage to the rest of the vehicle, but the Impala was in bad shape. As she started to walk towards the small car her heart raced in her chest. This was the part that scared her most about this line of work. She didn't know what she was going to see inside that car. If she was lucky it would just be someone who couldn't get out but was fine, but then there is the possibility that its a family in there and no one made it. She shook her head out of her own thoughts and proceeded to the car. Kai was already making quick work of the male in the truck and more sirens could be heard in the distance. Following the trail of broken glass and metal on the road she got her first good look at the Impala. The car was on its side, with the driver side door pinned to the ground. The passenger side was smashed into the car with no possible way of opening the doors on either side. She walked over to the hood of the car and looked into the cracked and broken windshield.

"Sir, can you hear me? My name is Anna Ibara, I'm here to help you."  
She yelled into the car but was getting no response back from the younger male in the driver seat. The ginger began to think of ways to get this man out without causing any more harm and without knowing what kind of injuries he already had. As she looked at the windshield she noticed two other men walk up behind her.

"Ma'am, I'm officer Neil and this is my partner officer Fenway, We have more units on the way as well as the New York Fire Department."  
He said.

She nodded and pointed to the car. "There is a man inside and he isn't conscious, I can't tell if he has a pulse."  
She spoke and they both walked over to the windshield where she was standing.

"Your partner wants to talk to you about something, we can work with the Fire Department to get this man safely out of here while you get your equipment ready."  
Officer Neil stated while he and his partner made quick work with the car.

Anna nodded and ran over, passing a few firemen as she did. She found Kai getting the stretcher out of the ambulance as well as a neck brace.  
"How was the man in the truck?"

"Oh, he was fine, mostly just shaken up with a few bumps and bruises."  
Kai looked over to the small blue car and let out a sigh. "How about the car?"

Anna looked back and rubbed her cold fingers together, reaching out to grab the stretcher.

"There is a man inside the car, he isn't responding and I am not even sure he has a pulse, The Firemen and Police are working to get him out of the car right now." She spoke with haste.

The two ran over to the blue car and stopped once they saw that the male was out and laying on the road. Anna quickly ran over and dropped down next to him.

"Sir, can you hear me?"  
She spoke loudly near his face and then started to check the man over for any obvious injuries.

She ran her fingers along his face and neck and then looked up to Kai as she was yelling out his vitals.  
"His pulse is weak, and we have a possible spinal injury." the petite ginger looked up at Kai and pointed to the neck brace they had brought over. "I need the neck brace and some help to move this man onto the stretcher once that is done." Once Anna secured his neck with the brace she had help from the fire department to put him on the stretcher.

Kai got the ambulance ready to go as Anna loaded the patient up into the back of the vehicle. She started to work at cutting his clothes away so she could tend to the wounds on his body from the crash and broken glass. As she did this she looked up at Kai through the window connecting the back area with the front.

"So what did the man in the truck say happened?"  
She asked as she started to write on a clipboard about the patient in front of her.

"He said that he was waiting at the red light, once it turned green he went and that's when the blue Chevy slid right past his stop light and into the truck."  
After telling her the story of the accident Kai went back to talking on the radio, informing the hospital that they would be coming in with someone in dire need of help.

Anna pulled out the male's wallet from his pocket and looked at his ID, this kid was only 19 years old and it sent a shiver down the woman's spine. She finally got the jacket off the male and started to cut up his shirt when he let out a cough filled with a deep groan. Anna sat straight up and looked at the male.

"Sir, can you hear me?"  
It was then that he coughed again, but this time it was laced with blood and his entire body started to convulse.

"Kai the patient is seizing and coughing blood, we need to get to the hospital now."  
She tried to remain calm like she is supposed too, but her voice cracked at the end.

It was only her first year as an EMT and though she graduated top of her class, she was still new and it scared her. She made quick work to hold the male down and keep his body turned so he couldn't choke on his own blood. It was then that she realized all the bruising on his upper chest and back. It didn't take long for them to reach the hospital after he started to seize and they quickly pulled up to the emergency entrance. As Kai got out and opened the back doors they were greeted by nurses and doctors ready to take over. They started to race the john doe into the building and Anna could hear Kai telling information to the doctors and staff. That should have been her, she was the one examining the patient so she should be telling them everything she knows, but for some reason, her voice won't work. It's like everything slowed down and her body stopped working altogether. She watched as the doctors rushed past her and all she could see was the 19-year-old male laying on the bed barely clinging to his life. She heard a nurse shout that he wasn't breathing and time almost stopped as another nurse attempted CPR on him but to no avail. Anna didn't notice when Kai walked up to her or what he was saying. The only thing she could hear was the doctor as he checked his watch.

"Call it, time of Death, 3:42 am." He stated.

That is when she felt the hand on her shoulder and looked over to see the tired eyes of her partner, he still managed to keep that twinkle in them after all his years of doing this.

The two walked back to the ambulance together and got into their seats. As he started up the vehicle he looked over to Anna with a soft gin. She looked over and let out a sigh.

"His name was Mason." She whispered.

Kai nodded and put the vehicle into gear, driving out of the hospital Entrance. The entire ride back was the quietest it had been all night. They didn't receive any other calls and neither spoke a word until they parted for the night. Once again Anna found her green eyes looking into those brown once that were so full of knowledge and hidden pain. He hugged her tight and let out a sigh as his breath could be seen in the cold air. "Kid, we can't save everyone. If we could then we wouldn't be EMT's, we would be gods," he whispered and patted her on the back. "Try and get some sleep, see you tomorrow." and with that, he got in his own car and drove off.

Anna pulled her small teal Ford Focus into the parking garage and got out. She slammed the door shut and locked it with a quick beep as she walked towards the apartment building entrance. The large building's lobby was empty except for Nick, the greeter who worked the overnights. She nodded at him and he nodded back while she walked over to the left side wall. Her freckled face scanned the hundreds of small squares with apartment numbers on them, She stuck a small key into the box that had "34C" on it. The door opened and greeted her with the cold stare of emptiness. Letting out a sigh she closed it up and headed over to the elevator, pushing the third-floor button. It seemed to take an eternity to reach home as the doors opened. Her shoes echoed down the empty hall as she reached her door and stuck her key in the lock. Just then another door opened down the hall and a man stepped out, nodding to someone as he left. She was about to ignore it and go into her apartment until she caught a glimpse of her peripheral vision and looked back. It was then that she saw her, the neighbor no one ever sees or hears from. The woman looked about the same age as Anna and had the same petite build. Her hair was long and almost a pale blonde, like the snow outside. Her skin seemed oddly pale as well but she shrugged that off as being because she never went outside. It was then that the girl looked at her and she noticed them. Those eyes that looked back at her, they were the bluest eyes Anna had ever seen. They reminded the redhead of the ocean, so open and beautiful, and just when she thought she could drown in them; the girl vanished.

Anna walked into her apartment and placed her EMT jacket on the hook, her last name reflecting from the moonlight pouring in from the living room window. As she walked into the kitchen she noticed a piece of paper folded on the table. Letting out a long sigh she walked over and picked it up.

Babe, had some extra work at the office today so I won't be home till late, Hans.

The woman looked over at the microwave clock and let out a chuckle. It was now 5:06 am and she knew he wouldn't be coming home at all. She walked to the bedroom and stripped down her clothes as she walked to the bathroom. She turned the handles for the shower and let her bathroom fog up from the steam. Stepping into the hot water she placed a hand on the shower wall and let the water run down her back. Her small fingers worked to remover her braids and wash away the day. She noticed the water at her feet growing a slight pink hue as dried on blood she didn't even know what there washed down the drain.

After almost a half an hour of washing herself and relaxing her tense muscles, Anna stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her small body, walking to her bedroom and sitting on the bed. She didn't even bother to get dressed or brush her hair. The ginger simply laid back and turned to her side, letting the night she had sunk in as she slept alone in her bed without her husband for the third time this week. A few stray tears raced down her cheek and then she silently cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

December 3rd

The light from the outside world poured in through the white curtains hanging in front of the window. It felt as though the sleeping woman had only been out for a few moments when she had awoken yet again. She was used to getting horrible nights sleep nowadays, most of her nights she spent alone and there was no comfort in that. As Anna rolled over she attempted to peel her tired eyes open, only to be stopped by the blinding sun. Her slender arm stretched over her face and she let out a groan, yawning and stretching out her legs. She managed to look over at the clock on her nightstand as it read 12:14 pm. Realizing that she can't just sleep the day away, no matter how late she got home, she sat up on the bed and looked over to her husband's empty side. She knew he had no intention of coming home last night, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

Anna forced her tired limbs to get out of the bed and make her way over to the dresser, forgetting that she had fallen asleep in only a towel the night before, she was cold and her body ached for warmth. Quickly the ginger got dressed, pulling on a simple pair of jeans and her warmest sweater to soothe her shivering body. Once she pulled some fuzzy socks on and her house slippers she grabbed her blanket and headed to the kitchen. Looking at the coffee maker sitting on the counter she debated rather or not to make some, she usually did in the morning for Hans but didn't see a point to it now since he more than likely wouldn't be home till later that night. So instead, she reached for her favorite kitty cat mug and some cocoa powder to make herself some hot chocolate. As the water was put on the stove to boil she went to the bathroom, a small gasp of shock escaped her mouth as she noticed how wild her had gotten last night. Strands of auburn sticking straight up and going in every direction. Anna laughed slightly to herself and grabbed her brush to work on taming this beast, finally managing to get it into a messy bun on top of her head.

Once her cocoa was done the petite woman meandered out the escape window that leads to the fire escape balcony. She enjoyed sitting out there in the summer to clear her head but figured it was too cold now. Wrapping her blanket tightly around her shoulders and holding her cocoa tight she walked over to the window, gazing out at the city in all its excitement. New York was quite beautiful in the winter, especially after a fresh snowfall. At that moment the little redhead decided that it would be worth it to go out on the fire escape and just take in the city, so she pushed the glass open and stepped out. She was greeted by a rush of cold air hitting her freckled face and a small giggled escaped her lips. Pulling her blanket up more she leaned on the metal railing and sipped her hot drink as the steam raised up into the sky. The sounds of people talking and cars driving by almost had her lost in her own mind until she heard it. She almost thought she was mistaken but then she heard it again. The sound of a piano was cutting through the air, and it seemed to be close. It was getting louder the more Anna tried to tune in to it and the more she heard the wider her smile had gotten. It sounded beautiful and started to drown out the city, Anna could have stayed there all day to listen to it until she was cut off abruptly by the door slamming shut inside.

Stepping back into the warm apartment and closing the window Anna found her green orbs locked with Han's. He had no guilt at all for not coming home last night and even seemed a bit frustrated. The redhead walked over to the kitchen counter and set her cup down, pulling her blanket tightly around her in defense as she cleared her throat. "Your note said you would be home late last night."

The tall male shrugged his shoulders and turned his head away to hang his jacket up on the hook, his brown hair slightly damp from the falling snow outside. "I got held up, it was no big deal." He walked towards the bedroom after removing his shoes and Anna started to follow. She knew logically that this was going to turn into another argument, but part of her had hope that he would see that he hurt her and apologize for once.

"It would have been nice to have you here last night, I had an awful day at work and just wanted someone to talk to about it." She tried to sound strong and stern but her voice failed her, cracking at the last minute as she leaned against the door and watched Hans unbutton his shirt. She tried to ignore the small bruise above his chest, she tried to justify it like all the others but her heart still ached when she saw it.

"Anna, please don't start this today. I get it, you have a stressful job but so do I." He let out a sigh and sat on the bed to remove his socks before standing back up. "Sometimes the company needs me to stay late, and I didn't want to drive all the way back home so my brother lets me stay at his place last night." He walked over and placed his large hand on her shoulder, then raised it to cup under her chin. "We have been over this."

Part of Anna wanted to believe him, but she just couldn't. She had this dream of finding the perfect man and getting married, having kids and being a family. Instead, she got Hans Ibara, the perfect man to the public but a monster behind closed doors. Anyone who knew them thought they had a perfect life, Hans owned a company in the Bronx and was a well-respected man. Anna worked as a first responder and had the kindest heart, but what they didn't know was all the times she was left alone so he could spend his nights with a woman he picked up at the bar or some new intern. She pulled her face away from his hand and took a step back.

"No Hans." She spoke with fire on her tongue

The large male was taken back and let his hand drop. He looked at the ginger and let out a sigh, turning his body to head towards the bathroom.

"If you want to be mad at me then go ahead, I don't have time for another Anna pity party." He started to unbutton his pants to change when Anna dropped the blanket that was around her and stormed up behind him, gripping his wrist to turn him around. Hans turned to meet her gaze as his brows pressed together in confusion.

"Anna, what are you doing?"

"Tell me the truth." Her voice was just above a whisper and she fought the tears the started to push at the back of her eyes. "Where did you stay last night?" She couldn't build up the courage to look at him and just kept her head down low, focused on the floor beneath them.

"Anna I told you where I was." His voice was lower and laced with anger as he pulled his arm back. "Now back off, this isn't like you." He meant it as a warning but Anna was stubborn and didn't know when to back down. Instead, she looked up at him with hurt in her deep green eyes and pointed to the mark on his chest.

"Can you explain this then? Because I am so sick of pretending that I don't see them!" And with that she lost her courage, her voice failed her and small salty trails ran down her cheeks. Before Hans had a chance to reply she was already turning around and heading out of the bedroom. "Never mind, I don't even care anymore." was all he could catch as he heard some noise in the living room and then the front door shut. All he could do was ball his fist and let out a grunt as he punched the wall.

As Anna raced down the hallway of her apartment building she felt around her pockets and silently cursed herself, realizing that she left her phone in the bedroom. She looked back towards the apartment but quickly decided against going back. Instead, she pushed the elevator button and silently waited for the doors to open, adjusting her hat and fixing her scarf. When the doors opened she was greeted by a very cheerful small child and his father.

"Olaf! been a while." Anna said with a grin.

Stepping out of the elevator was a very tall man with a stern look on his face. His eyes looked tired and his hair was already a white-gray, even though he was only to be about in his early forties. He looked at Anna and gave her a small nod before turning to Olaf.

"Come on son, we need to get home and make something to eat." And with that, the boy jumped up in excitement and grinned from ear to ear. He ran over and hugged Anna tightly before following his father.

"See ya later neighbor!" He called out and waved as Anna laughed and blew him a kiss.

She stepped into the elevator and on the way down couldn't help but feel sad about Mathew. He has changed so much since his wife got diagnosed with Cancer, but Oscar is just as joyful as ever, always bringing happiness wherever he goes. The thought of that little boys smiling face caused Anna to laugh softly to herself, but the loud ding of the elevator stopping cut her out of though. She stepped out and realized that she had no idea where she was headed too, but just as the thought crossed her mind her stomach let out a low growl. "Oh yeah, I never got to eat anything." So with that, she headed out the door and down the busy city streets to her favorite little cafe.

She walked up to the entrance but her attention was drawn elsewhere, to the older man sitting on the sidewalk against the building. She could see that he was homeless and she felt her heart being pulled into sorrow for a moment. Anna became an EMT because she has always had this natural instinct to help others, no matter what the situation. So without a seconds thought she marched through the swinging doors and straight up to the front counter. It only took her a few moments to order two bagels and a hot coffee black and then she was thanking the workers and back out the door. As she walked up to the older man with a smile, she never noticed the woman watching her from the window. Inside the cafe, sitting in a booth alone with only her laptop, was the woman from 38C. She glanced over at Anna, watching her make small talk with the homeless man and couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips when Anna sat down next to this stranger and started to eat with him. The blonde couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she could see the joy on the face of a man who just moments ago held only sorrow. Slowly she stood up and closed her computer, placing money on the table and walking home.

After her lunch date with who she now knows to be John, Anna realized it was close to 3:00 and had to hurry up home to get ready for work. She didn't particularly like the idea of going back home at the moment. She didn't want to see Hans at all right now, but part of her was also worried that he wouldn't be there. What if she had driven him out and back to the home of whomever he spent last night with. She mentally shook her head and walked into the lobby of her apartment building, but as she opened the door she bumped shoulders with another person and quickly apologized. She looked up to see those ocean eyes again, and once more she got lost swimming in them. Her stare was cut short by the sound of a male clearing his throat and that's when Anna realized she had been staring awkwardly.

"I am so sorry! I should watch where I am going, I just get kind of lost in thought sometimes." She laughed to herself and looked the blonde over.

She was wearing a beautiful light blue evening dress that held onto her curves tightly was split up the side of her left leg. Crystal blue high heeled shoes hugged her feet and her pale blonde hair was put up in a beautiful braid. Anna couldn't help but stumble over her words and then looked over at the male that was with her. He seemed much older than her, possibly in his 50's, and was in a very expensive looking tux.

"It's not a problem, I should have watched myself as well. I was lost in conversation." The woman's voice was very soft, and Anna felt the hairs on her neck stand up. The man, however, did not seem as pleased with the run in and placed his hand on her waist.

"We need to leave or we will miss the reservation." It sounded like he was trying to whisper, but be loud enough so Anna would hear and leave them be. Anna caught the hint and shook her head.

"Oh your right, I'm sorry, you look like your headed somewhere fancy. I will just leave now, it was nice bumping into you!" She slammed her hand against her forehead and grunted. "Not literally! I didn't mean that I liked bumping into your body...Not that there is anything wrong with your body I just meant...You know what I am just gonna leave." She ranted as she walked backward and almost knocked a decorative plant over. The blonde let out a soft laugh and shook her head.

"It's fine, and my names Elsa by the way, hope to run into you again." And with that the two walked out the door, leaving Anna to stand in the lobby, confused about what the hell just happened.

It's strange but the only thing that was going through Anna's mind the entire way back to her apartment was the man that Elsa was with. He seemed way too old to be a boyfriend or husband and was way too touchy to be her father. She stopped her thoughts as the elevator doors opened and looked down the empty hall. As long as she has lived here she would never understand why it was always a ghost town on her floor. Heavy feet walked slowly to her familiar door and she took a moment to breathe as she turned the cold brass handle and pushed it open. Green eyes scanned the inside as she removed her jacket and hung it up on the wall. For a moment she had hope that maybe Hans went back to work early and she wouldn't have to deal with any yelling right now. That was until she turned into the kitchen and saw her husband sitting at the table.

"Where did you go?" He asked quietly

"I just went to clear my head, have some alone time to think." She tried to sound brave but part of her was afraid of his reaction.

"I was about to call around and see if you were okay." He stood up and walked over to her, finally looking her in the eyes and placing a hand on her arm. "You can't run off like that Anna, you know I worry about you."

His entire demeanor changed as it usually did after they had a fight. It was what made Anna believe that there was still hope for them. It was moments like this when the old Hans would shine through and her heart would flutter in her chest.

"You were worried about me?" She asked.

"Of course I was, it's so cold out and you were gone for hours. I didn't know if you had a jacket or even had socks on." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "You know I love you, work just stresses me out sometimes and I bring it home. I am sorry, I know I shouldn't."

Anna was shocked but leaned her head against his chest, taking in his familiar scent and slowly wrapping her arms around him to hug him back. Then she remembered why she left and placed her hands on his chest, pushing back slightly.

"What about the mark on your neck? How did you get it?" She asked.

"I was roughhousing with Todd after work." He held out his arm and rolled up his sleeve, showing another bruise on his forearm. "See, he got a few good hits on me and then we laughed it off."

"Oh..." She paused and examined his arm, trying to remember if she had seen it there earlier. "I'm sorry Hans," she whispered as she looked up at him.

"Hey, it's okay. You obviously had a very stressful day at work and brought some of your stress home too. It happens." He spoke softly, turning into a completely different man from this afternoon.

"Yeah, I guess I did." She stated and let out a soft laugh. "Can we just pretend it never happened?"

"Of course, I forgive you." He said.

Anna was so lost in the old Hans, the man that she married, that she had let go of all the rage that was inside her from earlier. Its what he did. Hans knew exactly what to say and when to say it to make her stay. He had been playing this game for two years and mastered it easily.

"I have to get ready for work now." She said as she started to walk towards the bedroom. "I love you."

"I love you too Princess." He replied with a smile that disappeared the moment Anna turned the corner and was out of eyesight.

Hey Guys, I hope you are enjoying my story!  
The first two chapters are shorter than the rest of them so I just wanted to apologize for the short reads. I have up too chapter 7 finished and will be reviewing and editing them this weekend for upload.

Review/Fav/Follows are appreciated


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